What Works: Engaging Families of English Learners

The number of English learners (ELs) in U.S. public schools has slowly increased over the years, according to the most recent data available from the National Center for Education Statistics, from 4.6 million students (9.4 percent) in 2011 to 5.3 million (10.6 percent) in 2021. And the overwhelming majority (93.1 percent) received English language instruction.

But even with a rich diversity of languages spoken in school communities, many school leaders are not prepared to communicate and collaborate with EL families. In this edition of What Works, Principal magazine asked several educators with expertise in engaging English learners how to reach out to family members to collaboratively advance students’ academic performance, social integration, and emotional well-being. Here are some of their best ideas.

Learn Cultural Distinctions

Lynmara Colón, director of Student Opportunity and Multilingual Services for Prince William County (Virginia) Public Schools

What languages are spoken in your school community?
Our students represent 157 countries and 186 languages.

What are some challenges you face in trying to engage families of English learners?
Many of our families don’t have experience advocating for students and haven’t been taught how to hold us accountable. Families can benefit from learning how their participation in spaces such as school advisory councils, board meetings, curriculum adoptions, and divisionwide surveys can serve to advocate for more culturally responsive practices.

What strategies have you found most effective in addressing these challenges?
We offer topical sessions for families in multiple formats, including board meetings, a family engagement series, feedback surveys, and park and community pool visits. We are constantly looking for opportunities to inform, support, and include their voices.

What should staff understand in regard to respecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of English learners’ families?
Staff should understand that country and language do not dictate culture. As a Latina leader from Puerto Rico, I understand the challenges of language but had to be intentional about listening and learning about the challenges of the immigrant experience from other Latin American countries.

What support systems are in place to help EL families navigate the school system?
We offer classes at our Global Welcome Centers and schools on navigating the U.S. education system. We also established a Multilingual Advisory Council [for] families to give us feedback on how we are doing and what their real challenges are.

Leverage Bilingual Staff

Samuel González, assistant principal, Hatboro-Horsham (Pennsylvania) School District

What languages are spoken in your school community?
Across the two districts I’ve served, we’ve seen a rich diversity of languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Hebrew, Polish, Gujarati, French, Hindi, Arabic, Ukrainian,
Uzbek, Tajik, and others.

What are some challenges you face in trying to engage families of English learners?
Common challenges include language barriers, cultural differences, and logistical issues such as transportation and work schedules. Many of our families work multiple jobs, making it difficult for them to attend school events, though they consistently show commendable efforts to engage in our school communities.

What strategies have you found most effective in addressing these challenges?
[Strategies] include translating important documents, newsletters, and forms into families’ native languages; we employ bilingual staff members who can connect with families and provide interpreters for meetings. We offer workshops and resources to help parents support their children’s learning at home and educate them about our practices to ensure they are aligned to support their students.

What’s an example of a family engagement initiative you implemented that has been successful with non-English-speaking families? One successful initiative is our English Language Development Family Festival, an annual event [for] multilingual families featuring food, games, and opportunities for families to meet staff. Families can learn about the services available and interact with staff members, strengthening the home-school connection.

Track the Data

Teresa López Alonzo, associate director, Educational Leadership & System Design, WestEd

What languages are spoken in your school community?
WestEd is currently working with San Diego County in Southern California. We service 10 districts that have a variety of languages—everything from Farsi to Spanish to some of the Mandarin languages.

What are some challenges you face in trying to engage families of English learners?
Broadening your definition of parent engagement [beyond] physical participation in events is important. Some parents are working multiple jobs, so availability and time are sometimes a challenge. The population we serve also may be affected by the current political context, so there’s sometimes a fear of institutions and governmental agencies. Safety is important.

What strategies have you found most effective in addressing these challenges?
One of the things I used to do [as an administrator] is hold an open forum—essentially a space with no agenda other than for parents to meet the principal and share a little bit about their hopes and dreams for their child and for the school.

How do you measure the success of those strategies?
Parent participation is usually measured by how many attend. But I also think that it’s important to understand the level of parents’ acknowledgment of information or how many parent inquiries you get. For me, attendance was always a measure of happy, healthy children who want to come to school and parents who trust we’re doing a good job.

What support systems should you put in place to help families navigate the school system?
Shape the school into kind of a one-stop shop for families. Remember that they’re giving you the precious gift of their child. Get input from them, whether it’s about an intervention their child might need or advice. Make it a two-way street.

What advice would you give to school leaders who are just beginning this journey?
Ensure that all English learners have access to high-quality instruction, and [get] a cross-section of data covering student learning, demographics, and perceptions to track student progress. Additionally, I would pay close attention to student attendance and participation in any intervention efforts. Grow a team of people who are on board with the idea of supporting English learners. There’s a lot to learn, and you can’t do it alone.

Align With Family Goals

Chris Jackson, principal, Hollinger K–8 School, Tucson, Arizona

What languages are spoken in your school community?
English and Spanish, as well as some Oʼodham (Native American).

What are some challenges you face in trying to engage families of English learners?
There is sometimes a disconnect between spoken bilingualism and bilingual literacy. While many students speak English and Spanish, not as many can read and write in both languages.

How do you involve families in the decision-making process?
Our enrollment and registration process allows families to select whether or not they want to participate in two-way, dual language; two-way, dual language gifted and talented; or English-only classes. Not every family wants the same thing.

How do you measure the success of your strategies for connecting with these families?
We use growth data related to student performance on district benchmark assessments, and we continually talk with families [to find out] if their experience aligns with their learning goals for their children.

What support systems are in place to help EL families navigate the school system?
We have bilingual staff and interpreters available at school events and in classrooms. We adopted a curriculum and resources designed specifically for ELs. Finally, we [use] frameworks for teaching and learning that stress language acquisition and practice.

Prioritize Trust

Natalie A. Nelson, director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Special Programs at Westbury Union (New York) Free School District

What languages are spoken in your school community?
About 25 percent of our scholars are ELs. The top three languages spoken are English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, with a growing number of families who speak Urdu, Punjabi, and Bengali.

What strategies have you found most effective in addressing EL families’ challenges?
Virtual and in-person meetings and events with child care; holding meetings and events off-site in the community; translating written communications into multiple languages; and hiring bilingual staff and high school scholars to be present at events to translate and explain. Our most effective strategy has been to prioritize relational trust by having staff celebrate the cultures of families and make frequent check-ins and “student praise” calls to families.

What’s an example of a family engagement initiative you implemented that has been successful with non-English-speaking families?
A recent Family Vision Board Night was a packed event. Families came to a local museum to reflect on their hopes and dreams and design vision boards for their scholar’s success in 2025. They also learned about chronic absenteeism and the benefits of student attendance.

What should staff understand in regard to respecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of English learners’ families?
Staff must be aware of their own cultural blind spots and be intentional about identifying the strengths and skills that EL families possess. We support teachers in incorporating the cultures of their families into the curriculum and seeking opportunities to partner with parents.

How do you tap feedback from EL families about their experiences and needs?
We hold collaboration meetings, focus groups, and listening sessions to gather information about families’ needs, concerns, and ideas for ways to improve student learning. We carve out time during in-person and virtual meetings so parents have a voice on how funds are spent to improve student learning. We co-design at least one parent event per year.

Join Families for the Journey

Donna McGuire, assistant principal, PS/IS 18–The Park Terrace School, New York City

What languages are spoken in your school community?
About 95 percent of our students speak Spanish, being predominantly of Dominican descent.

What have you found most critical in engaging the families of English learners?
We have to be a welcoming space so that families feel comfortable having conversations with staff regarding their students, their progress, and supporting their children at home.

What’s an example of a successful family engagement initiative you implemented?
We celebrate Dominican independence every year on Feb. 28 [with] song, dance, folklore, music, and food. Almost all of our families come to celebrate. You may be new to New York City and trying to assimilate into American culture, but you have to remember your roots and be proud.

What support systems are in place to help EL families navigate the school system?
We have a parent coordinator who started out as a very involved parent, and we have teachers and staff members who started out as students. It’s a beautiful thing to know that you can grow up through our school—everyone feels like family.

Join Families for the Journey

Damon Qualls, executive director of the BOLD Leadership Network and former principal with Greenville County (South Carolina) Public Schools

What languages are spoken in your school community?
Other than English, the main language spoken is Spanish.

What are some challenges you face in trying to engage families of English learners?
It is critical to build trusting, lasting relationships. The fear of the unknown impacts families’ ability to connect with school; it is vital for schools to be transparent with families regarding their rights. Families should feel welcomed and see themselves immersed in the school’s culture and climate.

What’s an example of a family engagement initiative you implemented?
Our campus embraced diversity and celebrated the cultures represented on campus. One of my most memorable tasks as a principal was to secure a huge flag for every country represented in our student population. I invited a group of parents to come in, and we ironed out the wrinkles to prepare the flags to be hung in the atrium. This was the beginning of a true parental engagement transformation [that was] duplicated across the district.

What should staff understand in regard to respecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of ELs’ families?
Many times, students have experienced a tough journey to the U.S. or experienced trauma in their home country. Allowing students to feel safe and comfortable is the main goal. Some students travel to the U.S. without one or both of their parents. Find out the family situation without making the family feel threatened, so that the teachers and leadership team can communicate with the appropriate person [and] support students properly.

What support systems are in place to help EL families navigate the school system?
It’s important to have a bilingual representative at the school—a go-to person for families—[to build] trust and family involvement. Newly enrolled students are provided with Newcomer Kits. This includes age-
​appropriate bilingual books, headphones to practice online language learning, flash cards, and relevant community literature or resources for families. There is also a Newcomer Support class [where they can] learn English phrases related to daily life in school.

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Ian P. Murphy is senior editor of Principal magazine.

Kaylen Tucker is NAESP’s associate executive director, communications, and editor-in-chief of Principal magazine.